Rowleys spend holiday in City, not Down Under

The 10,000-mile trip home to Australia is just too far for the University at Albany junior forward to make for a short holiday break.

However, his parents made the long trip to watch Monday’s game in Des Moines, Iowa, against Drake. Sam, his younger brother Michael Rowley, a freshman with the Great Danes, and their parents, Gregg and Catherine, will spend Christmas in New York City.

It won’t just be the Rowleys. The two other Australians on UAlbany’s team, Peter Hooley and Luke Devlin, will also spend the holiday in New York.

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“It’s like a secondary family,” Sam Rowley said. “We’ve become so close over the years, it’s almost like that.”

The Great Danes have less than three days to spend with their families, having to be back in the Capital District on the evening of Dec. 26, so players are trying to make the most of every minute.

“It’s always nice for the U.S. boys to go see their family for a little break,” senior Luke Devlin said. “Us Aussie boys are going to the city for a couple days, which will be good. It’s a chance for everyone to get away from basketball for a bit, recharge the batteries and come back with a fresh face, fresh start and get ready to get the season going again.”

On Tuesday morning, the UAlbany players dispersed from the Des Moines airport, heading all over the country to get home to see their families.

“I get it,” said UAlbany coach Will Brown. “I understand it. Kids want to get home for the holidays.”

Being away from family during this time of year is difficult, but it’s become a part of the routine for the UAlbany Australians.

“You sort of get used to it,” said Devlin.

The Great Danes do a lot of traveling, but it’s mostly to play games. This will give the Australians a chance to do some touristy things in New York City, like visit the tree at Rockefeller Center.

It won’t even just be UAlbany players.

Fellow Aussie Dougal Weir, who is a freshman at the University of Hartford, will also spend the holidays bunking up in the hotel, with the Great Danes players. Weir played with Michael Rowley in Australia and will be playing against UAlbany as a member of the Hawks.

“The thing with Australians everybody kind of knows each other over here,” Sam Rowley said. “The parents kind of band together a little bit.”

Last year at Christmas, it was Devlin’s family that hosted and Hooley’s folks have also put up the Great Danes Aussies.

“Once the basketball is done, we’re all good friends,” Sam Rowley said. “We’re all very close. To get that feeling of family at Christmas time is pretty important.”

Once the holiday is over and the last non-conference game is played at Pitt, on New Year’s Eve, the Great Danes will turn their attention to America East play, which starts on Jan. 4, with a game against Hartford, at SEFCU Arena.

“We went to the NCAA tournament last year,” Brown said. “We won the conference tournament, so we’re trying to get our guys to understand that until somebody beats us, we’re the defending champions in the America East. That’s something that we need to embrace and realize that Hartford is coming in here looking to kick out butt.”